7 People Share the Simple Diet Tweak That Improved Their Health

Even when you play by the so-called "rules" of leading a healthy life, eating the right foods, and working out, everyone tends to battle a pesky health issue. Here, people share the tiny little change they made in their diet that made a world of a difference in their health.

“Eliminating dairy, gluten and processed-sugar solved my tummy woes.”

courtesy Wild Mantle
While it might be a popular choice these days, going gluten-free isn’t for everyone. However, Avi Loren Fox, the founder of Wild Mantle, had a compelling reason: When she was in her early 20s, she got a stomach parasite—probably from drinking well water. “It was like a bus hit me. All of a sudden, everything I ate made me sick. I lost weight and couldn’t eat anything at first, and then only really plain foods like rice and chicken with no salt or pepper,” she explained. Once they figured out her diagnosis, antibiotics cleared up the infection, but her gut never fully digested food in the same way it did before. “Foods that used to be fine started to make me sick. I would feel lethargic and tired when I ate certain things. I started to have other issues like acne flare-ups, indigestion, and inflammation,” she shares.

In fact, a 2014 study published in the National Journal confirmed the direct connection between consuming dairy and processed foods and lower immune system function. As Jim Curtis, author and president of Remedy Health Media, explains, “Often we fail to recognize that the food we ‘take’ has an even bigger, long-term effect. We literally are what we eat, despite a cute mascot or funny commercial. The science shows fresh, organic foods, free from pesticides, corn syrup and aspartame, will simply make you happier and more energetic.”

To determine what was shifting in her body, Fox started seeking the expertise of various dietitians, doctors, and acupuncturists, but everyone had a different solution. Frustrated, Fox decided to become her own health advocate by paying close attention to her body and reading a bunch of books to locate the source of her issues. Finally, via an elimination diet, she discovered that dairy, gluten, and processed sugar were all triggers.

She decided to gradually cut these items out and keep track of the progress. The outcome wasn’t overnight, but it was impactful. “This shift changed a lot for me. I still slip up and eat things that aren’t great for me every now and then, and when I do, my body immediately reminds me that wasn’t a good choice,” she says. “I think I’m a lot healthier now because I don’t eat a lot of inflammation-producing foods. The challenge is to get to know your body and listen to what it is telling you. Even if it means a lifestyle shift, you’ll be happier. Your health is worth it.”

“I tried the FODMAP diet and my IBS symptoms went away.”

courtesy Zlata Faerman
Lifestyle writer and public relations professional Zlata Faerman has had tummy issues for as long as she can remember. After many years of tests, she was finally diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but wasn’t offered any solutions to alleviate her discomfort. (These are the clear signs you have IBS.) It was the aftermath of an extremely embarrassing situation that motivated Faerman to start conducting her own research. This is when she discovered the FODMAP diet—an food elimination approach. (The acronym stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols; essentially, the plan means avoiding foods with simple carbs and sugar alcohols, additives in a lot of processed food.) Inspired by the idea, she became the first lifestyle writer to write about FODMAP in the U.S., which is now a popular diet, three years later.

“Once I started eating low FODMAP, I did not feel sick anymore. The feeling of being carefree about food—eating without fear—is not something that’s easy to put into words. While ‘normal’ people can just eat and not think twice, I wasn’t able to do that,” she says. “Food plays a big factor in everyday life, so you can imagine how exhausting that was for me. I no longer feel angst about how I’ll feel following a meal. I no longer decline invitations because of the ‘what ifs.’ Sure, I still have some times that my IBS affects me, but the low FODMAP diet truly changed my life.”

Lindsay Aurora Tigar is an experienced digital editor and blogger in NYC. Her blog, Confessions of a Love Addict, has a large following around the world, thousands of subscribers and hundreds of thousands of unique visitors a year. A book project based on her blog is under development and represented by theJames Fitzgerald Agency.The New York Post named her New York City's most eligible single in January 2014. She was also selected as one of New York's most desirable singles by the lifestyle dating website, Rachel & Chris, and has partnered with several popular dating blogs to create viral content. She is part of the HerCampus Blogger Network and spoke at their summer conference in New York on "How to Be a Powerhouse Blogger." She's a social media and digital media guru with big followings on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.She freelances for several sites, including Shape.com, eHarmony.com,AskMen.com, Engagement 101 and more. She's also the resident dater forWomen'sHealthMag.com, writing weekly about her dating adventures in her 'Dater Diary' column.